This invention concerns a shielding material for use in such as laser beam surgery.
Laser technology is playing an increasingly important role in today's surgical procedures, as illustrated by its use in throat surgery. Such use, however, does present certain problems. For example, the laser beam can severely damage the endotracheal tube commonly used during throat operations, an accidental direct burst from the laser having the capability of burning through the unprotected wall of the tube and thereby destroying its function.
To avoid such burning, the tube may be wrapped with reflective aluminum tape. While this wrapping does prevent destruction of the tube itself, the reflected beam may well cause thermal damage elsewhere. In addition, the heavy aluminum tape traumatizes the patient's throat. A similar approach to the problem is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,722, in which the tube is provided with a dip-coated laser-reflective coating. While this is an improvement over the aluminum wrapping, the coating makes the tube much less flexible, and laser blasts are still reflected from the tube into the throat tissue.
The need therefore exists for a more effective means of protecting endotracheal tubes and other medical devices employed with laser beam surgery.